Superb iV 3 pin charging

[bmoster]

Hi all, I have ordered a Skoda iV which I should receive in the next few weeks. I am going to install a proper wallbox at home (most likely a PodPoint) but was going to charge it once or twice a week at work using a standard 3 pin socket. However one electrician told me that I shouldn't do that as it is not good for the battery long term.

 

Surely Skoda would not provide a cable for 3 pin charging if this was the case.

 

Do any iV users charge from a 3 pin socket on a regular basis and have you had any problems?

 

Thanks

[dg360]

I was under the impression that slow charging = good for the battery?

Not sure it's great for the socket it's plugged into though. Especially if it's an outside socket with a cover, so no airflow to cool it.

[Patent]

Ditto the above, the only downside of slow charging I can see is that you probably spend a good chunk more because of the heat loss over a longer period

[stephenlumley]

I've had my IV for a year now and only ever charge it from a 3 pin socket. No problems here.

 

I also use a smart socket which means I can easily schedule charging to start at 00:30.

 

This is when my Octopus Go unit rate drops to 5p. In the 4 hr slot at 5p it gets to about 85% charged. So I get the first 30 ish miles of each journey for about 70p.

 

i was concerned that the smart plug may cook but it copes perfectly with the 10 amps charging current.

[MarkyG82]

You should be able to set the charge current to a suitable level for a 3pin plug. I'd suggest 10A at most provided you have a good supply with little else on it.

 

As for battery condition while slow charging. That's utter tosh and the guy needs to double check what he's telling you. Maybe he was mixed up and meant the socket?

 

@stephenlumley is there not a schedule in the car for that? I have a timer function on my wall box but never used it as I have it set in the car. Skoda could be slightly different to VW but the timer function should be standard on the platform.

[stephenlumley]

Yes there is a timer built into the car for controlling the charging but I find it a lot easier to use the app on my phone.

 

Also I can monitor the energy usage using my Meross energy monitoring smart plug.

[j caff]

I have my iV 2 weeks now and I'm lucky in that there's a free Lidl charger close to me which charges at the maximum 3.6Kw/hr the battery can handle, I have used the granny cable too but my god is it slow. I can't see using the granny cable doing any harm to the battery but it will test your patience!! Battery life on mine is shocking I'm struggling to get more than 25Km from a full charge, initial feelings on the car are very disappointing I'm sad to say. In the first 1000 Km I've gotten 63 mpg which includes 4 full charges and using B mode continuously. I was getting better mpg figures from the 2 litre TDI it replaced.

[MarkyG82]

@j caff it's definitely a change in driving style needed to get the most from it. Stuff like turning off the AC, coasting, etc. Or just plug it in drive it and enjoy. It's not the same as a TDI or a TSI. It's a phev that needs a different style of driving.

[j caff]

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

@j caff it's definitely a change in driving style needed to get the most from it. Stuff like turning off the AC, coasting, etc. Or just plug it in drive it and enjoy. It's not the same as a TDI or a TSI. It's a phev that needs a different style of driving.

I agree with you on that, I am finding that electrical consumption is starting to improve. When I get my chargepoint installed it will make it much easier. I love the B regen function, it took a bit of getting used to but I miss it when it isn't engaged, one pedal driving is very easy to get used to. 

[MarkyG82]

That's another thing to look into. B mode isn't necessarily the most efficient. Coasting is often a better use of the energy you've expelled as you will never recoup enough through regen to gain it back. B mode is great for the comfort of driving though. 

[JBD1974]

21 hours ago, bmoster said:

Hi all, I have ordered a Skoda iV which I should receive in the next few weeks. I am going to install a proper wallbox at home (most likely a PodPoint) but was going to charge it once or twice a week at work using a standard 3 pin socket. However one electrician told me that I shouldn't do that as it is not good for the battery long term.

 

Surely Skoda would not provide a cable for 3 pin charging if this was the case.

 

Do any iV users charge from a 3 pin socket on a regular basis and have you had any problems?

 

Thanks

There have been similar conversations in LEAF forums (my other car). The battery doesn't mind, but old house wiring with  a 10amp pull for hours may. The general consensus is to try to use a dedicated circuit, either 3 pin or wallbox (or not worry if you're in a new house). 

[j caff]

4 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

That's another thing to look into. B mode isn't necessarily the most efficient. Coasting is often a better use of the energy you've expelled as you will never recoup enough through regen to gain it back. B mode is great for the comfort of driving though. 

It can get complicated can't it? For town driving in EV mode would you recommend B mode or coasting?  I'm going to set the clock to zero today with a full charge and see what distance I actually get. If you could explain what reserve battery does I would be very grateful, the manual is as clear as mud on that one...

[MarkyG82]

This is my thoughts with my driving style and the types of towns I drive in (not big cities).

 

I would prefer to coast as these cars coast very well. Also encourages the ice to shut off when in hybrid mode at whatever level of charge.

I do quite often down shift to add some regen to the coasting if I find I am coming to a junction or corner quicker than expected. I realise it does the same thing when you use the brake pedal but there is more chance of the energy going to the battery on pure regen with downshift or b mode.

 

As a rule I will coast as much as possible. I am quite a sedate driver and try to be predictable to other road users to aid flow and safety. This driving style lends itself well to economy.

[j caff]

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

This is my thoughts with my driving style and the types of towns I drive in (not big cities).

 

I would prefer to coast as these cars coast very well. Also encourages the ice to shut off when in hybrid mode at whatever level of charge.

I do quite often down shift to add some regen to the coasting if I find I am coming to a junction or corner quicker than expected. I realise it does the same thing when you use the brake pedal but there is more chance of the energy going to the battery on pure regen with downshift or b mode.

 

As a rule I will coast as much as possible. I am quite a sedate driver and try to be predictable to other road users to aid flow and safety. This driving style lends itself well to economy.

Like yourself I would be a sedate driver and I'll coast for this battery charge and see how it goes. Any thoughts on the reserve battery? I've set mine to zero for this test. 

[MarkyG82]

That must be one of the differences with the VW. I don't have battery reserve. Modes are EV, hybrid, hold and charge. First two should be obvious. Hold keeps it at whatever you are at and charge just keeps charging.

[Patent]

Reserve and Battery Hold are similar. Reserve lets you set the battery percentage you want it to hold at. 

 

Eg if set at 20% it'll use it up until it gets to 20. Or it'll charge it up to 20 if it's empty

Edited 12 October, 2021 by Patent

[ERIK99]

Hi

I've had my superb IV for 13 months.  I always charge at home on 3 pin plug, via the higher rated cooker circuit (30 amps) since we never use the cooker. I have it as an extension to an outside wall box. No problems at all. I charge up almost every time I use any battery so that it's nearly max charge whenever I go out.

Using max re-charge I have had at best 42 miles range on a full charge, in perfect conditions, both weather and driving style (almost no stops and on dual carriageway, ding about 45 mph in 6th gear).

My normal around town is only about 25 mpg on 100% charge.

There has not yet been any obvious drop in battery capability, but I've only dome about 3000 miles all electric, and about 4000 all petrol.

Interesting the views on regen V coasting.  I've not tested this yet, but on a recent 110 mile trip, mainly motorway at about 50mph, I managed to get 38 miles before electric went to zero, then got another 8 miles from regen, which seemed good to me. Average was about 130mpg for mix of battery and petrol.

My average on petrol only is about 48 mpg.

Overall, the way I use this car is no different to how I used to drive my previous Superb 2.0 diesel TDI, which gave a much better overall mpg, but I bought the IV because I can do almost all my local driving totally electric, which is what I wanted.

[j caff]

1 hour ago, ERIK99 said:

Hi

I've had my superb IV for 13 months.  I always charge at home on 3 pin plug, via the higher rated cooker circuit (30 amps) since we never use the cooker. I have it as an extension to an outside wall box. No problems at all. I charge up almost every time I use any battery so that it's nearly max charge whenever I go out.

Using max re-charge I have had at best 42 miles range on a full charge, in perfect conditions, both weather and driving style (almost no stops and on dual carriageway, ding about 45 mph in 6th gear).

My normal around town is only about 25 mpg on 100% charge.

There has not yet been any obvious drop in battery capability, but I've only dome about 3000 miles all electric, and about 4000 all petrol.

Interesting the views on regen V coasting.  I've not tested this yet, but on a recent 110 mile trip, mainly motorway at about 50mph, I managed to get 38 miles before electric went to zero, then got another 8 miles from regen, which seemed good to me. Average was about 130mpg for mix of battery and petrol.

My average on petrol only is about 48 mpg.

Overall, the way I use this car is no different to how I used to drive my previous Superb 2.0 diesel TDI, which gave a much better overall mpg, but I bought the IV because I can do almost all my local driving totally electric, which is what I wanted.

If you're using the Skoda charger having it on the 30A cooker circuit will make no difference as the unit will only deliver at a maximum of 10A. I have an install date of the 2nd of November for my charge point which will allow the car to charge at its maximum of 16A that will make a big difference to the length of charge time. If I could get that elusive update that would allow it to charge at 32A it would be brilliant. 

[ERIK99]

6 minutes ago, j caff said:

If you're using the Skoda charger having it on the 30A cooker circuit will make no difference as the unit will only deliver at a maximum of 10A. I have an install date of the 2nd of November for my charge point which will allow the car to charge at its maximum of 16A that will make a big difference to the length of charge time. If I could get that elusive update that would allow it to charge at 32A it would be brilliant. 

I'm not using a commercial charging unit at all. It is a weatherproof external 13 amp socket.

 

I understand the limitations (takes 5 hrs 20 mins to fully charge), but I have no need currently for anything faster.

 

The least time to do full charge for me (and you as well probably) is about 4 hours when using a FREE 7kw unit at Tesco. This is the restriction on the car, not the charging unit.

[j caff]

3 minutes ago, ERIK99 said:

I'm not using a commercial charging unit at all. It is a weatherproof external 13 amp socket.

 

I understand the limitations (takes 5 hrs 20 mins to fully charge), but I have no need currently for anything faster.

 

The least time to do full charge for me (and you as well probably) is about 4 hours when using a FREE 7kw unit at Tesco. This is the restriction on the car, not the charging unit.

I understand that you're using the granny cable. I'm very lucky that there's a free Lidl charger in walking distance to me, which, as you say takes about 4 hours to do a full charge. If the car could charge at 7Kw it would be brilliant.